NEW YORK (CNN) -- During a eulogy for John F. Kennedy Jr. at
a private family memorial on Friday, Sen. Edward Kennedy
remembered his nephew's playful wit as "quick and sure."

The senator recalled the excitement JFK. Jr. caused during
the 1994 campaign by telling an aide he was bringing a
"companion" to a campaign appearance. That mystery companion
turned out to be a dog he'd just picked up at the pound.

JFK Jr. also tickled his uncle with his answer to a
reporter's query into what he would do if he was elected
president.

"I guess the first thing is call up Uncle Teddy and gloat,"
JFK Jr. said, according to the senator.

JFK Jr., who as a kid once entertained the grown-ups by
wearing a basket on his head, never let fame go to his head.
He handled all the media attention with a pinch of humor.

Facing the cameras once, he announced to his wife: "I'm
trying to pinch your butt."

He began one speech by pointing out a somewhat racy
billboard behind him to the audience.

"It's difficult to stand before you fully clothed and
compete for your attention with seven people in their
underwear," he said, adding, "We'll do our best."

But even scantily clad models on an underwear billboard were
no competition for "the hunk."

And no son of a president can be accused of taking himself
too seriously when he poses semi-nude in his own political
magazine, George.

JFK Jr., as a child, wears a basket over his head to
amuse others

Trial and television

Even when JFK Jr. failed the bar exam, twice, his sense of
humor never left him.

"Clearly not a measure of legal genius," he told reporters
chasing him down the street for a reaction.

Who needs genius when you've got those Kennedy genes?

During a rare late night talk show appearance, JFK Jr. and
Jerry Seinfeld chatted about a "Seinfeld" episode in which an
actor played John.

The next day, when the real JFK JR. arrived in court as an
assistant district attorney -- he was interrogated by a man
on trial.

"The defendant is sitting there, and he says, 'you were on
Seinfeld,'" JFK Jr. recalled. "And I say, no, no, no. And
defendant leans over to his attorney and says, 'the guy's an
actor, no wonder he failed the bar exam.'"

John always seemed bemused by the ruckus he caused. One time
as he cycled the streets of New York, he shouted the warning,
"don't fall" to a relentless photographer following him on
in-line skates.

JFK Jr.'s humor was wry, dry and droll.

After he managed to outwit the media and keep his wedding
secret, he faced reporters who were hungry for details.

"There is one other wedding dress in the world exactly like
my wife Carolyn's," he told them, adding, "I believe it's
owned by Dennis Rodman."

The son of a president was both modest and self-deprecating
when he was asked if he could see himself in elective office.

"Yeah, I can see myself lying on a beach in a hammock so I
can see myself in elective office too," said the man who
played in the White House as a child.

And what would JFK Jr. have said about the hoopla over his
demise? Maybe he would have repeated what he said at other
times when he was hounded by the media: "Slow news day, huh?"